Digital Cratediggers, Part 2

Toronto, ON, Canada / 102.1 the Edge

June 04, 2015 07:30 am

Last time we talked about collectors who take it upon themselves to post super-obscure, long-lost and out-of-print records on their blogs. This is technically illegal, which is why most do this anonymously. Morally, though, these obsessives believe that they’re doing the right thing. No one is getting hurt. No one is losing money (because the records weren’t making money to begin with). And no one had any intention of releasing this music ever again.

Collectors love it–and so do most of the artists. A few careers have been revived by these sites. As one blogger says “If 500 people download a lost album from 1981 because I bought the last remaining used copy for 200 euros, then my blog has been instrumental in helping that artist.” Dude’s got a point. However, this doesn’t make it legal—especially now that we’re in an era where streaming music services want this stuff. We need to sort this out.